Feb 17, 2024 By Mike Jones 3 min read

The number of people who died from drug overdoses in Greene County dropped again last year, although officials aren’t sure what caused the decrease in fatalities.

Ten people died from overdoses in 2023, making it the least deadly year in the county in five years, when four people died in 2018.

“It’s hard to say what’s working and what’s not,” Greene County Coroner Gene Rush said. “Our numbers are down, so we have to think something is working, but we can’t really say what.”

It’s the third straight year in which the number of drug overdose deaths have fallen, and nearly half the number when a record 19 people died in the county in 2016. Rush is happy that the numbers are moving in the right direction, but he didn’t think there was any one particular reason for the decrease in deaths with the improved number of treatment options in recent years and advent of naloxone, which can reverse the effects of opioids if administered early enough.

“The (addiction) treatment programs that are going on right now have affected them, but not enough to say that it’ll (completely) work,” Rush said.

Dr. Michael Crabtree, a professor of psychology at Washington & Jefferson College and owner of Washington Psychological Services, said the number of deaths seems to be fluctuating within a few numbers, meaning it could just be a statistical anomaly.

“I wonder if that is statistically reliable, the (overdose deaths) that you’re seeing,” Crabtree said. “Historically, men have been overrepresented in substance abuse problems, but women are catching up.”

That was the case in Greene County, since nine out of the 10 people who died were men, according to a review of the coroner’s annual report filed at the prothonotary’s office. Of the deaths, seven involved the lethal synthetic opioid fentanyl in the mixture of drugs.

“Fentanyl is much more powerful than heroin, so that’s why it becomes a powerful substitute,” Crabtree said. “But people don’t know how much is in it.”

But there is also a new drug that is being introduced into various batches of methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. Four of the people who died were found with xylazine, which is an elephant tranquilizer.

“That just started coming into play the past few years,” Rush said. “It’s some powerful stuff and obviously getting mixed in.”

Rush said Greene County officials may never get a complete picture with the number of fatal overdoses because anyone who is transported to a hospital in neighboring West Virginia and dies there is not included in his report since the death happened out of state.

“There’s no real way to track everything,” Rush said. “Yeah, our numbers are good, but are they that good?”

MORE INFO: Greene County overdose death by year

2023 – 10

2022 – 13

2021 – 16

2020 – 12

2019 – 14

2018 – 4

2017 – 12

2016 – 19